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24 July 2023
OLATHE, Kan. — Multiple trades industries are facing major staffing shortages, and local employers say it’s impacting their businesses.
“How many people in this room have a problem trying to find labor?” U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall asked Monday.
The Kansas senator held a round table at Midwest Crane and Rigging in Olathe to learn more about the shortage and what legislators could do to help.
“We just can’t find enough people,” said Andrew Christ, president of the Kansas City American Subcontractor Association and COO for Compass Constructors.
Christ said the trades industry is down 50% of its workers nationwide.
“Not everybody is meant to go to college. That’s just not their path,” Christ said.
“There are so many opportunities out there in the trades whether it be carpenters, whether it be roofers, electricians, and I mean there’s pension plans and all these great benefits, and just making sure that all these kids know that these are a viable option and solution for their life.”
Christ said the Kansas City American Subcontractor Association is pushing for programs in STEM that will excite younger generations to explore the industry.
“Could make a tremendous living working with their hands and, you know, not necessarily sitting behind a desk all day long,” Christ said.
Marshall listened to each employer at the roundtable and said he plans to take their feedback to Washington.